No More Missing Children Act
The No More Missing Children Act creates the Unaccompanied Alien Child Anti-Trafficking Program, mounted by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The core goal is to prevent trafficking, disappearance, or loss of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) who are released from custody to sponsors. The program requires comprehensive sponsor vetting, continuous monitoring (including GPS tracking), regular telephonic reporting for children and sponsors, DNA testing to verify familial relationships, and routine home visits. If a sponsor fails to comply or poses safety concerns, the child can be removed from the sponsor’s custody and placed back into protective custody with penalties for the sponsor. The act also establishes ongoing background checks and eligibility criteria for sponsors, aiming to limit risk to UACs.
Key Points
- 1Establishment and enrollment rules: Creates the Unaccompanied Alien Child Anti-Trafficking Program and enrolls every UAC released from HHS custody after enactment (and those in the U.S. as of enactment) until removal, age 18, or lawful status is achieved.
- 2GPS monitoring and reporting requirements: Requires continuous GPS tracking for both the UAC and the sponsor for the duration of the placement, plus telephonic reporting at least once per month for children age 4 and older.
- 3DNA collection and relationship verification: Mandates DNA testing for the UAC, each sponsor, and each adult in the sponsor’s household, to confirm relationships when claimed; accelerates action if exploitation or unsafe conditions are suspected.
- 4Home visits and pre-release inspections: Requires home visits before a child is released to a sponsor, plus minimum unannounced in-person visits (at least 6 in the first year, and at least 4 per year thereafter).
- 5Sponsor vetting and eligibility: Before placement, sponsors and adult household members must undergo extensive background checks (biometrics, in-person interviews, public records, FBI checks, national vetting center, terrorism and sexual offender checks, child abuse history, foreign country checks, immigration status, and synthetic identity checks). Ongoing quarterly background checks are required after placement. Sponsors must not be unlawfully present aliens (unless a qualifying relative) and may not have disqualifying affiliations (e.g., criminal organizations, gangs, terrorist groups), be sex offenders, have certain recent or pending criminal convictions, or have foreign country convictions that would disqualify.
- 6Consequences for noncompliance: If a sponsor fails to comply with release conditions or the program’s rules, the Secretary may terminate the placement, reclaim custody, and bar the sponsor from sponsoring other UACs.